Pattern device for knitting-machines.



E. 0. CHANDLER.

PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

0 1 9 1 n0 0 e D m H 6 Lb a P. um 0 9 1 4 l T P E S D E L I F N o I T A G I .L P A 6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rllllll INVENTOR WITNESSES A TTORNEY E. G. CHANDLER. PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.14, 1909.

977,852. Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' INVENTOR 1:9

TORNEY WITNE Es %M74 7 E. C. CHANDLER. A PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 19o9.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

6 BHEETSSHEET 3.

INVEN TOR CFC E. G.CHANDLER. v PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

' APPLICATION EILED SEPT. 14, 1909. 77,852, Patented Dec. 6, 1910. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 1' 4.

ATTORNEY E. G. CHANDLER.

PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

.2 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

III/III.

INVENTOR B. G. CHANDLER. PATTERN DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1909.

977,852. Patented Dec. 6,1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY tuck stitches at predetermined intervals.

EDGAR, 'c.: CHANDLER, on P ILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PATTERN DEVICE FOR -KNIT'IING-MACHINES.

Original application filed August 18 1908, Serial No. 449,181.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Divided and this application filed September 14, 1909. Serial No. 517,562.

To all whom 'it concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR C. CHANDLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pattern Devlces for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of my application for my Letters Patent No. 953,122, dated March 29., 1910, for an improvement in knitting machines.

Y The object of this invention is to provide in a knitting machine a simple and efiicient construction and organization of parts whereby various diflerent patterning effects may be produced in the product of the machine, by causing, at predetermined intervals, certain of the needles to produce tuck stitches while the remaining needles produce the regular stitches, and by causing the needles to cease the production of the The invention consists in the novel con struction and combinations of parts which will vbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a plan View of a knitting machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, as on the line aa of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line Z)b of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line cc of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on line (i -(Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a view of the pawl-raising arm, detached. section on line e-e of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 isa section on line f-f of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a section on line -g of Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a development of a portion 'of the interior of the cam cylinder showing the two sets of knitting cams, oneof the adjustable needleraising canis and one of the needle-operating wheels. Fig. 12 is a horizontal section as on-the line 71-h of Fig. 2.

The main frame of the machine comprises a bedplate 1, and a uitable supporting standard 2 therefor. l\ lounted in suitable hearings in the standard 2 is the main driving shaft 3, thevouter end of which is pro Fig. 8 is a" vided with the usual fastand loose pulleys 4 and 5, by means of which power may be applied to the shaft. The inner end of the I shaft 3 is provided with a beveled gear wheel 6 which engages the teeth of a similar gear wheel 7 formed on the cam cylinder 8 which is rotatably mounted in the bed plate 1. Vithin the cam cylinder 8 is the needle cylinder 9 provided with the usual vertical grooves into which are fitted the needles 10 of usual construction. The cam cylinder 8 carries the usual cams for vertically reciprocating the needles for theproduction of the stitches in the common and well known I manner. In the present invention two sets of knitting cams of usual construction are carried by the cam cylinder and on opposite sides thereof, as at A and B, whereby, during the rotation of the cam needles will be actuated to produce two rows cylinder 8 the of stitches for every revolution of the cam jacent the knitting cams B; and the ring 21 carries an arm 24 provided with a threadguiding eye 25 through which a thread is di-.

rected to the needles adjacent the knitting cams A.

In carrying out my invention, I employ an automatically controlled mechanism to raise certain of the needles so that their latches will escape their engaged loops of thread while the latches of other needles are permitted to remain in their engaged loops of thread to produce tuck stltches during-the knitting operation, to control the pattern effect of the fabricbeing knitted.

Directly in rear of the knitting cams B is a needle-operating wheel 54 which inclines upwardly in adirection away from the knitting cams, and directly in rear of the knitting cams A is a needle-operating Wheel 55 which inclines upwardly in a direction away from the knitting cams. The wheels 54 and 55 are mounted to rotate on pivot studs 56 and 57 respectively, carried determined needles and raise'them so that their latches will escape their engaged loops of thread after they have been acted uponby the preceding knitting cams, and each wheel is also provided with slots between the notches for the passage therethrough of the butts of the needles not raised by the wheel. The latches of the needles not raised by the wheels 54 and 55 are thus permitted to remain in their engaged loops of thread, thus causing certain needles to tuck during the knitting operation and produce pattern effects upon the fabric being knitted. Directly in rear of each wheel 54 and .55

is a' pattern-controlling, needle-operating cam 58, which is formed on the innerend of a radially extending bar 59, The bar 59 is pivotally mounted, as at 60, on a bracket 61 projecting from and carried by the cam.

cylinder 8. a The bars 59 are adapted to be rocked on their ivots by mechanism .hereinafter described: to ralse and lower the cams 58, and the cams 58 are held in either their raised or lowered position by the action of a flat spring 62 secured to the brackets 16 and engagin V-shaped lateral faces of the cams 58.

hen the cams 58 are in the lowered .position, the butts of the needles are unaffected thereby. When,'h ')wever, the cams 58 are in the raised position, they act upon the butts of the needles not acted upon by the notches of the preceding wheels 54 and 55 and raise said needlesso that their latches escape their engaged loops of thread. Thus it will be seen that when the cams 58 are in the raised position, all of the needles, after they have been acted upon by the knittin cams A and B will be raised so that their latcheswill escape their engaged loops of thread, and that therefore no tucking will take place; and that when the cams 58 are in the lowered position, the needle butts will beunafi'ected thereby and certain" needles controlled by the wheels 54. and 55 will be caused to tuck as previously ex'-' plained. Thus the raising and lowering of the cams will control the tucking operation; or, in other words, when the cams 58 are in the raised position, no tuckin place, and when the cams are, 1n the 'lowered position the tucking operationwill take place. v

The notches 54 and 55 may be arranged to engage any predetermined needles'to control the pattern effect of the tucking stitches in the product of the machine, and either one or both of the wheels 54 and 55 may be removedfrom the machine and other wheels having differently arranged notches to engage different needles may be substituted therefor. Thus a great variety of pattern will take produced in the knitted fabric by the employment of different wheels having difierently arranged needle-engaging notches.

The outer ends of the cam bars 69 vare adapted to be, engaged by two reciprocative pins 62 and 63, arranged one above the other. These pins are adapted to be projected in alternate succession into the path traversed by the outer ends of the cam bars, and the outer ends of the cam bars are-provided with upper and lowerxbeveled surfaces which are adapted to be engaged by the pins 62 and 63 to raise and lower the outer ends of the bars 59, and at the same time raise and lower the cams 58 carried by the inner ends thereof. The pin 62 is so positioned with relation to the path of travel of the outer ends of the bars 59 that when it is projected into the path thereof it will act upon the upper beveled faces of the outer ends of-the bars to depress them and raise the cams 58. And the pin 63 is so positioned with relation to the pathof travel of the outerends of the bars 59 that when it is projected into the path thereof it will act upon the lower beveled faces of the outer ends of the bars to' raise them and lower the cams 58. i

The pins 62 and 63 are fitted to horizontal openings in a bracket 44 rising fixedly from the bed plate 1 and the outer ends of the pins are pivotally connected to the upper and lower ends of a plateor lever 64 whlch is pivotally connected to the bracket 44 as at 65, centrally between the two pins'62 and 63. The central portion of the plate or lever 64 extends outwardly from the bracket 44 and is connected by an upwardly extending link 66 to a'horizontally arranged arm 67 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 51 mounted in bearings in a bracket 52 projecting from the bed plate 1. The free end of the arm 67 is drawn downward by action of a spring 68, one end of whlch'is connected to the arm 67 and the. other end of which is connected to the bracket 44. 7 From this construction it will be seen that when the arm67 is raised against the action of the spring 68, the link 66 will act uponand rock the plate or lever 64 in a manner to withdraw the pin 63 from the path of the cam bars 59 and project the pin 62 into the path of the cam bars 59; and when the arm 67 is lowered by the action of the spring 68, the link will act upon and rock'the plate or lever 64 in amanner to withdraw the pin 62 the from the path of the cam bars 59 and project the pin 63into the pathof the cambars;

so that when the pin 63 is projected inwardly thecams'58 will be lowered, permitting the production of the tucked stitches; and when the pin 62 is projected Y inwardly the cams 58 will be raised to cause the needles to cease the production of the.13o

tucked stitches.

ered, to thus control the production or nonproduction of thetucked stitches; Directly beneath the arm 67 are two independently rotatable members which, in the present embodimen ofimy invention, are twodrums 69 and 70. The drum 70 is fixed to a shaft 71 which is mounted in bearings projecting from the bed plate 1', and the arm 69 surrounds and is rotatably mounted upon the drum 70. The drum 69 is only about one half the length .of the drum 70, 'so that a portion of the periphery of the drum 70-will be exposed while the entire periphery of the drum 69 is exposed. The arm 67 is pro-.

vided with two downwardly extending proections 76 and 77, which are adapted to move into and out of the paths traversed by projecting blocks 78 and 79 carried by the drums 69 and 7 0 respectively. Thus it will be seen that when the drums 69 and70 are rotated independently ofeach other the stitch-tucking mechanism will be controlled by the arm 67 being raised and lowered by the operation of the blocks 7 8' and 7 9. The drums. 69 and 70 are provided with screwthreaded holes for the reception of screws to secure other blocks to the drums in the paths of the blocks 78 and 79, or for changing the location ofthese blocks with respect to each other and the drums 69 and 70, so

that they will act upon the arm 67 at difjerent times with relation tothe movement of the drums.

By employing two independently rotatable members or drums and by independ ently controlling both 'the thread-changing mechanism and the stitch-tucking mechanism such as, is described and claimed in my Patent No. 953,122, above mentioned by each of said drums, I am enabled to the pawlsf 82 and 83 "bein obtain a much wider range of variation in the patternof the fabric being knitted than if a. single drum were em 'loyed.

I shall now describe t e mechanism for actuating the drums independently of'eacli other at certain intervals during the operation of the machine.

Formed on or secured to one end of the inner drum is 'a'ratchet Wheel "80, and formed onor secured to oneend of the outer drum adjacent the, ratchet wheel 80 is a ratchet wheel 81. The teeth of the ratchet wheel 80 are directed opposite to the teeth of the ratchet wheel 81 so that they and the drums may be rotated in; opposite directions. Engaged with the ratchet wheels 80 and 81 are ,pawls 82- and 83 respectively, carried by the upper end of a lever :84- lcrumed onthe shaft 71. :The lower end of the lever 84 is connected by an arm '85to a wheel 86 away from the center thereof, -whereby, during the rotation of the wheel 86, the lever 89 '84 in one direction will cause the pawl 83 vto engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel 81 and advance the drum 69 the distanceof one tooth, and the movement of the upper end of thelever 84 in the reversedirection will cause the pawl 82 to engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel 80 and advance the drum 70 the distance of one tooth in an opposite direction to the movement of the drum 69.

In order todisengage the pawl 82 from the ratchet wheel 80 so that it will discontinue to advance the drum 70 at certain pre determined intervals, for a purpose hereinafter explained, I provide an arm 90, one end of which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 91' on the bed plate 1, and the other end ofwhichextends to a position directly beneath the path of movement of the pawl 82, so that when the arm 90 is raised the ,will be rocked back and. fortln The wheel nose of the pawl. 82 will ride over the arm and be prevented from engaging'the teeth of the ratchet wheel 80, and when the arm is lowered the pawl'82'will be permitted to drop into engagement with said teeth. The arm 90 is raised at certain intervals by pins-92 which project from a circular series of screw-threaded holes 93 in the face of the ratchet wheel 80 into which the pins 92 are screwed. The timing of the disengagement of the pawl 82 from the ratchetwheel 80 with relation to its movement may be controlled and regulated by employing a greater or less number of pins 92 and by changing their positions about the circular series of openings 93.' After the arm 90 has been raised by one of the pins 92, it is held in the raised position by alatch arm 94 provided with a' shoulder '95 adapted to engage -mally toward-the projection 96 by a spring 98, one end of which is connectedto the arm 94 and the other end of which is connected to a projection 99 rising from the arm 90 adjacent the pivotthereof. This spring 98 also tends to move the free end of the arm-90 downwardly from engagement with the pawl 82. As the arm 90 is being raised by a pin 92, the arm does not raise the pawl 82 from the tooth of the wheel 80 with which it is then engaged, but it is raised into position to prevent the pawl dropping into engagement with the' next succeeding tooth. This being done, the

spring 98 draws the latch arm 94 into engagement with the projection 96 on the arm 90 to maintain the arm elevated while the pin 92 which raised the arm 90 moves from engagement therewith before the wheel 80 comes to rest, so that the arm 90 may drop from the pawl 82 when the arm 90 is released by the latch arm 94.

When the shoulder 95 is .in engagement with the projection 96, and the pawl 82 is out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 80, and it is desired to permit the pawl 82 to drop into engagement with the ratchet wheel 80, the shaft 97 v is rocked to disengage the' latch arm 94 from the projection 96, thus permittin the arm 90 and pawl 82 to drop. The late arm 94 is thus operated at certain predetermined intervals by the following mechanism :One end of the shaft 97 extends outwardly and is provided with an arm 100 the free end of which is provided with a dog 101 arranged directly over a pattern chain 102 which passes over a sprocket wheel 103 on a shaft 104 which is mounted to rotate in a suitable bearing. The lower end of the chain 102 passes around a weighted, grooved wheel 105,

which is supported by the. chain. The links wheel 103 is continuously and slowly rotated bya wheel-107 on the shaft 104, the periphery of the wheel 107 being, provided with small comb-like projections which are engaged by the fabric (shown by dot-and-dash lines) which, as it passes from the needles to and between a pair of take-up rollers 108,

' engages the projections and rotates the Wheel 107. The take-up. rollers 108 are journaled in a frame 109 one end of which -1s pivotally mounted on a' shaft 110 carried by brackets depending from the bed plate. The shaft 108 of one take-up roller 108 is provided with a gearwheel 111 which is engaged by a pinion.112 on one end of a shaft 113 journaled in the frame 109. The

other end of the shaft 113 is provided with a grooved pulley 114 around which passes a belt 115 which also passes around a grooved pulley 116 on the main driving shaft 3.

During the knitting operation, the fabric is drawn from the needles by, the weight of the free end of the frame 109', which is supported by the fabric engaging the take-up rollers 108. As the frame 109 moves down wardly in drawing the fabric from the needles, the frictional engagement of the the pawl 82 may be rendered operative or belt 115 with the wheel 114 increases until it is sufficient to turn the shaft 113 and therewith the feed rollers 108 in a manner to feed the fabric downwardly between said rollers, thus raising the free end of the frame 109 and decreasing the frictional engagement of the belt 115 with the pulley 114 until it is insufficient to rotate'the feed rollers; whereupon the free end of the frame 109 again moves downwardly until the frictional engagement of the belt 115 with the pulley 114 is again sufficient to causethe actuation of the feed rollers 108. Thus the free end of the frame 109 is slightly raised and lowered during the feeding of the fabric. Backward motion of the take-up rollers is prevented by a pawl 117 pivoted to the shaft 110 and engaging the gear vwheel 111 in a manner to permit forward motion thereof and prevent backward motion thereof. Thus itwill be seen that after each time the pawl 82 has been rendered inoperative, by the arm 90 engaging the latch arm 94,

returned into engagement with the ratchet wheel 80 at a predetermined period controlled by a projection-106 of the chain 102 engagin the dog 101-at a redetermined period urin the operation 0 the machine.

From the oregoing description it will be seen that during the operation of the machine the pawl 83 remalns constantly in engagement with theratchet ,wheel 81 while the pawl 82v is moved into and out of operative engagement with the ratchet wheel 80 at predetermined intervals under the control of the pins 92 and the projections106 of the pattern chain 102.

By this construction I am enabled to greatly vary the designs of the product of the machine .by not only changing the relation' of the blocks 78 and 79 to eachother upon the drums 69 and 70, but also ,by actuating the drum 70 onlyatcertain predetermined intervals which changes the timing of the movement of the blocks 78 carried by the drum 69 with relation to the movement of the blocks carried by the drum 70.

I claim I 1. In a knittin machine, the combination of the needles, t eir support, the c'airiicyL inder, rotating means for the cam cylinder, means carried by the cam cylinder to actuate the needles to produce stitches, two in- 120 dependently rotatable members, means for bers"for moving said needle operating part into and out of operative position.

2. In a knittin machine, the combination of the needles, t eir support, the cam cylate the needles to rotatable members,

inder, rotating means for the cam "cylinder, means carried by the cam cylinder to actuproduce stitches, a pattern-controlling, needle-operating cam, two independently "rotatable drums, means for rotating said drums independently of each other during successive rotations of the cam cylinder, adjustable patterning parts carried by each of said drums, and means controlled by the patterning part of each of said drums for operating the needle-operating cam.

In a knittin machine, the combination of the needles, their support, the cam cylinder, rotating means for the cam cylinder,

means carried by the cam cylinder to actuate the needles to produce stitches, a thread feeding part carried by the cam cylinder, a needle operating part, two independently means controlled by each of said members for moving said needle operating part into and out of operative position, and means for rotating said members independently ofeach other, the last named means including a ratchet wheel connected to one of said members and a pawl coacting with said ratchet wheel.

4. In a knittin machine, the combination of the needles, t eir support, the cam cylinder, rotating means for the cam cylinder,

means carried'by the cam cylinder to actuate the needles to produce stitches, a thread feeding part carried by the cam cylinder, a needle operating part, two independently rotatable members, means controlled by each of said members for moving said needle operating part into and out of operative p0 sition, and means for rotating said members ofeach other, the last named means inclu mg a ratchet wheel connected to one of said nected to the other of said members, a awl coacting' with one of said ratchet whee pawl coacting with the other of said ratchet wheels, and. a part actuating both pawls;

5. In a knitting machine, the combination I members, a ratchet wheel con- .out ofengagement with the .bers independently of of the needles, their support, the cam cylinder, rotating means for the cam cylinder, means carried by the cam cylinder to actuate the needles to produce stitches, a thread feeding part carried by the cam cylinder, a needle operating part, two independently rotatable members, means controlled by each of said members for moving said needle operating part into and out of operative position, and means for rotating said members independently of each other, the last named means including a ratchet wheel connected to one of said members, a pawl coacting with said ratchet wheel, an operating part for said pawl, and a part moving said pawl ratchet wheel at predetermined intervals.

6. In a knitting machine, the combination of the needles, their support, the cam cylinder, rotating means forthe cam cylinder, means carried by the cam cylinder to actuate the needles to produce stitches, a thread feeding part earned by the cam cylinder, a-needle operating part, two independently rotatable members, means controlled by each of said members for moving said needle operating part into and out of operative position, and means for rotating said mem each other, the last named means including a ratchet wheel connected to one of said members, a ratchet wheel connected to the other of said members, a pawl coacting with one ofsaid ratchet wheels, a pawl coacting with the other of said ratchet wheels, a part actuating both pawls, and a part moving one of said pawls out of engagement with its ratchet wheel at predetermined intervals.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDGAR O. CHANDLER;

Witnesse'si S. I. HARPER, 'E. M. WARE. 

